Pages

Tuesday, November 7, 2017

First Day of Double Vision Class

Today is Election Day in the US. I voted. Have you?
Democracy doesn't work without everyone's input.

"It is the duty of every citizen to vote on Election Day."

Lots of fun with Louisa and my classmates. One of the best things about classes is seeing the variety of fabrics and ideas each participant brings.

Boy, I'm glad I pre-cut my fabrics. Here's my final layout for a background. Of course it took several iterations: take photos, move squares, repeat. Digital cameras are so helpful in this process.

Arranging background for a Double Vision quilt

Two rows sewed by lunchtime. After a short break we returned to our machines and the background sewing was completed by the end of the day. The colors in this shot are so much truer than the previous photo.

Background for my Double Vision quilt sewn

Environmental Progress That Caught my Eye
For years I've known willows are good choices for wastewater remediation. Anyone on septic systems probably knows this, too. Here are some links to articles from countries around the world. {Unfortunately most links are not https but you can at least get a feel for the research depth.}

However, I didn't know about newer research involving poplars. These trees naturally remediate groundwater but often at the expense of their own health. John Freeman, a plant physiologist at NASA, conducted an experiment at a Superfund site in the Bay Area. He fortified half the poplars planted with bacteria from healthy poplars at a TCE-contaminated site in the Midwest. Results show the trees reduced TCE to undetectable levels, pulled out other contaminants, and actually resulted in healthier trees. A better way to clean up some toxic wastes. Good news indeed.

Found in sites worldwide and now linked to cancers and Parkinson's, TCE was used as an industrial solvent and degreaser. It mixes with groundwater and is easily volatilized. That means it gets into the air. If your house is well insulated, concentrations build. In that respect, it reminds me of radon. People who live on granite understand.

I love this background, what a great start. I also love the bits of information you share here - this stuff about trees is completely fascinating and leaves me marvelling, not for the first time, at how clever nature is.

It’s a different way of working for me. I knew about the sequence of plants that remediate outhouses but didn’t know they were using others to break down these toxic chemicals. Nature finds a way, doesn’t it?

Thanks, Mel. This background is so pretty I can hardly imagine how another layer will improve it. But it makes me think of your Chinese Coin quilt with the appliqued vines. It was already lovely and the vines took it over the top.

So interesting to see your start! I made a few quilts like this years ago, but really, they began and ended with the squares. Nothing special every happened with mine like I'm sure is going to happen here! and yes, we voted.:)

This one will be a bit different because I'm following someone else's pattern... sort of. I hardly ever do that. Hopefully this will be a toddler/lap quilt when finished. I'm glad you voted. Our national voting rate is a disgrace. It's a pain because they schedule elections throughout the year but so important. Then we need to have conversations and realize we all must compromise. Like a family, we must learn to get along. My little soapbox.

Thanks, Deb. That research gives me hope. It's incredibly expensive to remediate Superfund sites and I'm never sure how well they are completed. The poplars appear to break down TCE into non-hazardous byproducts and I trust the trees to keep working. Nature finds a way.